Stereotype casting box



III

3 Sheets-Sheet l J. L. BLACKLEY STEREOTYPE CASTING BOX Filed sept. 22, 1959 Oct. s, '1942.

ATTORNEYS BY ULM/MU J. L. BLACKLEY STEREOTYPE CASTING Box Oct. 6, 1942.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 22, 1939 INVENTOR. Ja/7766 L. Wav/dey 2M w WLM n ATTORNEYS Oct. 6, 1942.. J. L. BLACKLEY 2,297,739

STEREOTYPE CASTING BOX Filed Sept. 22, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTCR.

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Patented Oct. 6, 1942 STEREOTYPE CASTING BOX James L. Blackley, Battle Creek, Mich., assigner to Duplex Printing Press Company, Battle Creek, Mich.

Application September 22, 1939, Serial No. 296,127

8 Claims.

This invention relates to stereotype casting boxes, particularly for casting tubular stereotype plates.

Heretofore it has been extremely dilcult to produce such plates having truly cylindrical printing surfaces. This has been due both to the mats-and to the equipment employed in casting the cylindrical plates. The mats are quite apt to cause difficulty because when they are scorched or dried certain portions become slightly stiffer than others, so that when they are placed in a cylindrical casting box, they do not always press uniformly against the inner wall of the box when the molten metal is poured in.

Heretofore casting boxes have comprised a stationary drag and a hinged cope and a core. The core. has carried thereon a mat bai projecting toward the drag and the mats have been arranged around the core with the ends between the mat bar and the drag, after which the cope has been closed and the mat arranged against the surface of the drag and cope as closely as possible, after which the core has been moved to its final position to place the mat bar in position to hold the edges of the mat against radial displacement.

The variationsin stiffness of the different portions of the mat have made it practically impossible to obtain a truly cylindrical printing surface on the plates. Further diiculty has been encountered due to varying thickness of the mats. When the molten metal is poured into the casting box, there is a tendency for the mat to shrink and the spacing between the mat bar and the cope must be such that there is suiiicient clearance to permit the edges of the mat to slide slightly between the mat bar and the cope. If the space between the mat bar and the drag is too small for the mat, the mat will bind, which will form a, plate on whichv the printing surface is untrue. If the space between the mat -bar and the drag is larger than the thickness of the mat, the ends of the mat may not beheld against radial displacement and the stiiiness of the mat may hold the edges of the mat away from the Wall of the drag. It may also be that metal will leak between the mat bar and the mat.

In practice, mats may vary in thickness from .022 to .031 inches and this has given rise to considerable diiculty. It may be that in a newspaper oflice where time is a serious element, only thewrong thickness of mat for the equipment may be available and in such cases with the prior casting boxes, it has been diicult to obtain true printing surfaces on the cylindrical plates.

The objects of this invention are:

First, to produce a new and improved casting box which will eliminate the above diculties.

Second, to produce such a casting box in which it is possible t0 obtain truly cylindrical printing surfaces regardless of the above stated deciencies 0f the mat.

Third, to produce such a casting box in which vacuum means are employed in both the drag and the cope to hold the mat against the walls in order to assure a truly cylindrical printing surface on the cylindrical plate formed in the casting box.

Fourth, to provide such a casting box in which the mat may be arranged in position easily and simply before closing the cope and in which when the cope is closed vacuum-is applied to hold the mat in its desired position for casting.

Fifth, to provide such a casting box whichmay be made inexpensively and with a minimum number of parts and which will operate most efficiently.

Sixth, to provide such a casting box in which the heat insulating effect of the vacuum in the drag and cope is compensated for by simple and long lasting elements.

Seventh, to provide such a casting box in which a minimum number of parts are employed and in which the parts are arranged simply and compactly.

Eighth, to provide such a casting box with a new and improved counterweight and check.

Ninth, to provide such a casting box with new and' simplified mechanism for tilting the core.

Further objects and advantages pertaining to details and economies of construction and operation will appear from the description to follow. The invention is deiined in the claims. A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a casting box embodying my invention.

Fig, 2 is a front plan view Partly broken away taken from the right side of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the cope, drag and core of my improved machine showing the details thereof and showing the details of the counterbalance and check.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view through a portion of the drag and the core showing how the mat bar is arranged.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through the meeting edges of the cope and drag, showing the interconnecting` passage between the same. Y

Fig. 6 is a partial detail view showing the mechanism for tilting the core.

Fig. 7 is -a detail sectional View through the meeting faces of the cope and drag showing the arrangement of the control switch for the vacuum pump employed.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional View showing the catch or lock employed in connection with the tilting mechanism for the core.

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2, showing the connections for cooling water through the gudgeon of the core.

The casting box of my invention has a suitable base I on which is mounted the stationary drag 2 to which the cope 3 is hinged by hinges 4. On the cope and drag, I provide a suitable latch 5, the details of which form no part of this invention.

Both the cope and drag are hollow, as is best seen in Fig. 3, and each is provided with a semicylindrical recess which registers with the similar recess in the other to form a space to receive the mat which is indicated. at 6. Within the recesses of the cope and drag are tted removable liners 'I and 8.' These liners are provided with a plurality of openings or perforations 9 and I0, which communicate with the hollow interiors of the cope and drag respectively. In the engaging faces II and I2 of the cope and drag respectively, I provide registering apertures I3 `and I4 which communicate with the hollow interiors of the cope and drag and when the cope and drag are in closed position from a communicating passage. Tnese passages are lined respectively with tube liners I and I6 and in the faces II and I2 of the cope and drag, I provide recesses Il and I8 surrounding the apertures I3 and I4 to receive resilient washers I9 and 20 which meet when the cope and drag are closed to tightly seal the passage between the hollow interiors of the cope and drag.

The liners are held rigidly but removably by screws 8l whose heads are machined to conform absolutely to the surface of the liners to assure a continuous smooth unbroken surface.

It is extremely advantageous to have the liners I and 8 removable since it is thus possible to keep the liners in perfect condition at all times. If any damage is done to either liner, it may be removed for repair or replacement without disturbing the cope or drag.

I make the cope and drag of cast iron and the liners I and 8 of the same material. It is important to hold the correct shape of the liners and unless the liners and the cope and drag are made of the same material, or at least of materials having the same coeflicient of expansion, there is apt to be distortion when the stereotype metal which is poured into the mold at about 600 F. is cast. In lieu of using the same material for cope and drag, I may use materials having the same coeicient of expansion and otherwise suitable.

Connected to the hollow interior of the drag by a suitable pipe 2| is a vacuum pump 22 which is driven by an electric motor 23. The motor 23 is controlled by a suitable push button switch 24 which is mounted in a recess 25 in the face I2 of the drag. The push button 26 of the switch projects beyond the face I2 to be engaged by the face II of the cope when the cope swings to closed position to start the motor 23 to start the pump 22 to create a vacuum in the drag. The vacuum pump exhausts both the drag and cope because of the openings I3 and I4 which connect the hollow interiors of the drag and th-e cope.

This arrangement is highly satisfactory because the connection between the swinging cope and drag is made with a minimum number of parts and the apparatus is extremely efficient because the vacuum does not become effective until the mat 6 has been suitably arranged and the cope swung to closed position against the drag.

The perforations 9 and I0 are small perforations arranged in close proximity to one another and they cover the area on the removable liners 'I and 8 over which the mat 6 lies when it is in place in the casting box.

The casting box is provided with a suitable hollow core 2l' which is trunnioned by means of gudgeons 28 on a horizontal axis permitting the core to swing from the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. l. On the side of the core which opposes the drag, I provide a mat bar 29 which is held in place by suitable screws 29I and which is slotted at 30 to receive the projecting bar 3I which is fastened on the drag by means of screws 32. The projection of the mat bar from the core is such that the space 33 between the mat bar and the drag when the core is in position for casting is slightly greater than the thickness of the mat 6. This permits the mat to slide somewhat after the core has been moved to position for casting.

The core swinging mechanism will be later described and is such that the core can be swung to a vertical position nearly that assumed by the core during casting to permit the arrangement of the mat around the core before the cope is swung to closed position. After the mat is arranged in substantially the desired position, the core may be swung to position for casting. The cope may be closed, whereupon the vacuum pump is started to exhaust the air from the hollow interiors of the cope and drag to pull the mat tightly against the liners 'I and 8 of the cope and drag, assuring a tight t and a perfectly cylindrical printing surface on the plate. The force exerted may be materially greater than the force exerted by merely pouring the molten metal into the casting box and is such that unevenness in the stiifness of the mat or in the thickness of the mat will not interfere with the proper seating of the mat against the liners 'I and 8.

In order to speed up the setting of the metal by cooling which cannot take place as readily as in ordinary casting boxes because of the insulating eiect of the vacuum, I provide a simple durable cooling arrangement. The gudgeons 28 on which the core 2l is mounted are hollow to permit water to flow into and out of the core. One of the gudgeons for the inlet is connected to one of the pipes 34 and the other for the outlet is connected to the other pipe 34. I provide a permanent, packed swivel joint connected to the water supply pipe 35 and the outlet pipe 33. The joints are the same and I will describe only one thereof. At the end of the pipe 36 is an outwardly extending flange 3l. A cap 38 is provided to fit on the end of the gudgeon 28, This cap has an inwardly extending flange 39 which overlaps the flange 3l and surrounds the pipe 36. In between the anges 31 and 39 and surrounding the pipe 36, I provide a packing 49. The cap is held in place by screws 4I, thus making a permanent joint which permits the core to be swung on the gudgeons without interfering with the passage of water to and from the core.

The core 2l is counterbalanced so that when the cylindrical plate is on the core and the cope is swung open, the core can swing to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. When the plate is removed, the` core can swing to the position shown in Fig. 3. It is desirable to provide a check and in my improved casting box I have materially simplified the construction by incorporating the check in the counterweight so that the weight of the check is useful as a counterbalance without disturbing the checking action. The check consists of a cylinder 42 the longitudinal axis of which lies tangential to a circle described about the horizontal axis on which the core 21 is pivoted. A piston 43 is tted in the cylinder and on the piston rod 44 I provide a cam follower 45 which rides in a cam slot 4S in the frame of the casting box. This cam slot is disposed eccentrically about the horizontal axis on which the core 21 is pivoted and is so disposed that in the raised position of the core the piston is forced into the cylinder while in the lowered position of the core the piston is retracted from the cylinder. It will be apparent that the cam follower 45rides in the cam slot 4S so that the checking action of the piston in the cylinder is effective during movement of the core because there is a tendency on either movement to move the piston in or out of the cylinder.

At the lower end of the core7 I provide an improved control device and locking mechanism for locking the core in either its raised or lowered position. This consists of a cam slot 41 in which the cam follower 48 rides. The cam follower 48 is located at one end of the arm 49 of the bell crank lever D which is pivoted at 5| and has an arm 52 on which a foot pedal 53 is mounted. The` cam slot is such that during the major portion of the movement of the core from raised to lowered position, there is no effect, but the ends of the cam slot extend downwardly so that at either end of the movement of the core the cam follower 48 may drop into the downwardly extending portion Of the cam slot to lock the core in position.

In Fig. 6, I show the core in lowered position with the cam follower 48 in the lower portion of the downwardly directed portion of the cam slot. This portion of the cam slot is so arranged that pressure on the foot pedal 53 will swing the cam follower 48 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 6, unlocking the core and at the same time starting it on its upward movement.

When the core is in raised position, the cam follower may fall into the other end 0f the cam slot to swing the core to casting position and to i there lock it. In order to assist in placing the mat about the core before the core swings to the final casting position, I provide a catch which holds the core slightly away from its vertical casting position. This catch consists of a plunger 54 mounted in a bore 55 in the arm 52 of the bell crank lever 58. On pivot 56 mounted on the frame of my casting box, I provide a catch member 51 having a projecting member 58 adapted to engage the end of the plunger 54. A coun- Y terweight 59 swings the catch member to position when the bell crank lever 50 is in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6 `and holds the lever in this position so that the cam follower 48 cannot fall into the lower ends of the cam slot unless the catch 51 is released. To facilitate the release, I provide a pin 591 which can be moved by the foot of the workman using the casting box.

It may be that the workman will forget to release the catch and to prevent damage to the casting box in this event, I provide a spring which permits the plunger 54 to give if the cope is swung to closed position without releasing the catch51.

It will be apparent that this arrangement is extremely simple and consists of a minimum of parts and can be mounted conveniently out of sight in the framel of the casting box. The terms and expressions which have been herein employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and describedy or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1, In a casting box, the combination of hinged elements comprising a hollow drag and a hollow cope each having a semi-cylindrical recess registering with the similar recess inthe other and having faces which abut when said elements are in closed position, the walls of each of said recesses having perforations communicating with the hollow portion of its elements, a vacuum pump,connections therefrom to the hollow portion of one element, a-motor operatively connected to said pump, a port in the face of each of said elements communicating with the hollow portions thereof, the port of the drag and the port of the cope registering when the cope and drag are closed, thereby forming a communication between the hollow interiors of said elements, and a push button switch electrically connected to control said motor mounted at the face ofv one hinged element with the button projecting from said face to be engaged by the face of the other hinged elements when the elements are in closed position to start saidmotor on closing of said elements.

2. In a casting box, the combination of hinged elements comprising a hollow drag and a hollow cope each having a semi-cylindrical recess registering with the similar recess in the other and having faces which abut when said elements are in closed position, the walls of each of said recesses having perforations communicating with the hollow portions of its element, means for creating a vacuum connected to the hollow portion of one of said elements, and a port in the face of each of said elements communicating with the hollow portions thereof, the port of the drag and the port of the cope registering when the cope and drag are closed, thereby forming a communication between the hollow interiors of said element.

3. In a casting box, the combination of a stationary hollow drag and a movable hollow cope hinged together each having a semi-cylindrical recess registering with a similar recess in the other and having perforations in the walls of said recesses communicating with the hollow portions of said drag and cope, means for creating a vacuum, stationary connections therefrom to the hollow portion of said drag, a port in said drag and a port in said cope, said ports registering with one another when said cope and drag are in closed position to form a communicating passage between the hollow portions of said cope and drag, and means operable by closing said cope on said drag to start said means for creating a vacuum to create a vacuum in said cope and drag.

4. In a casting box, a frame, a core trunnioned on a horizontal axis and having a counterweight including a cylinder, a piston slidably disposed in said cylinder and means on said frame and connected to said piston and actuated by movement of said core about said horizontal axis to slide said piston in said cylinder whereby said cylinder and piston serve both as a counterbalance and as a check.

5. In a casting box, a frame, a core trunnioned on a horizontal axis and having a counterweight including a cylinder having the longitudinal axis of its bore extending in a direction substantally tangential to a circle described about said horizontal axis, a piston slidably disposed in said cylinder and having on its free end a cam follower, and a curved cam slot on said frame engaging said cam follower and disposed eccentrically about said horizontal axis in such a manner that said piston is moved in said cylinder on pivoting of said core, whereby on pivoting of said core about said horizontal axis said cylinder and piston serve both as a counterbalance and as a check.

6. In a casting box having a tiltable core, the combination of a lever pivoted between its ends and having a cam follower at one end and a foot pedal at the other, a cam slot carried by said core and having its central portion so shaped and disposed that during the major portion of the tilting movement of the core said cam follower rides in said slot and holds said pedal in depressed position, the ends of said slot being so formed that at the ends of the tilting movement of said core said cam follower may drop permitting said pedal to rise to lock said core in its end position, and releasable means for holding said pedal in depressed position, whereby said lever is held in depressed position during the major portion of the tilting of said core and said core is held out of casting position by said catch until said catch is released and whereby said core may be released from locked end position by depression of said foot pedal.

7. In a casting box having a tiltable core, the combination of a lever having a cam follower, a cam slot carried by said casting box and having its central portion so shaped and disposed that during the major portion of the tilting movement of the core said .cam follower rides in said slot, the ends of said slot being so formed that at the ends of the tilting movement of said core said cam follower may drop to lock said core in its end pc-sition, and releasable means for holding said cam follower out of the ends of said slot comprising a spring pressed plunger mounted in a bore in said lever and projecting therefrom and a catch comprising a pivoted lever having means thereon to engage said plunger and hold it in depressed position and a counterweight to move said catch to position to engage said plunger whereby said cam follower is held out of the ends of said slot during the major portion of the tilting of said core and said core is held out of casting position by said catch until said catch is released.

8. In a casting box, the combination of a stationary hollow drag and a movable hollow cope hinged together each having a semi-cylindrical recess registering with a similar recess in the other and having perforations in the walls of said recesses communicating with the hollow portions of said drag and cope, means for creating a vacuum, stationary connections therefrom to the hollow portion of said drag, a port in said drag and a port'l in said cope, said ports registering with one another when said cope and drag are in closed position to form a communicating passage between the hollow portions of said cope and drag.

JAMES L. BLACKLEY. 

